River of Blood

Chapter Three

            Annalise slowly puts her keycard in the door, expelling a sharp breath as she pushes the door open.

Her...roommate...lies sprawled out on one of the couches in their dorm apartment, music plugged into his ears. How the college could mix up rooming and put a boy and a girl in the same room was beyond her. Seriously though, who makes that mistake?

Dirty blond haired and equipped with sarcasm, her roommate grins as she sits down on the couch across from him. "Back already?" He asks as he takes out one of his headphones and sits up. "That didn't take long."

Annalise wants to wipe that smirk off of his face, but she knows she can't. "It's my dorm too, you realize."

"I'd quite forgotten, but thanks for the reminder." He winks as he stands from the couch. Crossing the room, he enters his bedroom and the door shuts softly behind him. Annalise stares at his wake, wondering why on earth she has to get stuck with a guy like him. Obviously a player, he has a smile that must knock human girls on their feet in front of him. He probably plays football with his build, which would make him the stereotypical jock type. God, what if he brings girls here?

Stomach coiling in nausea, Annalise puts her head in her hands. There is another problem with this dirty blond god. She couldn't get his gorgeous blue eyes out of her head.

Granted, he annoyed her to no end at times, but there was something...magical about him. Like she is drawn to frustrating hot body like a bee to honey. No way in hell is she going to act on it, but the thought of acting on it turns in her brain. Her eyes widen considerably when she realizes just what she was thinking about.

No way. No way.

Annalise pushes herself up of off the couch and slams the door to her bedroom shut in her wake. Putting her own headphones in, she curls up into a ball on the bed. The plants place precariously in her rooms seem to move with her emotions and turn into weeping lilies. Annalise sighs and waves her hands around. Immediately, the plants come back to life. They draw on her energy – her immortal Fae energy – as if she is the last shred of light on the planet. Which, obviously, she isn't.

She changes from her flowery dress into a tank and soccer shorts before climbing back into her bed. Pulling the covers up to cover her body, she instantly sinks into the depths that sleep has to offer.

~~~

The claw comes out of the darkness, striking hard and painful. Blood bleeds through the dress, coating her body with the sticky substance. Now, she's the one falling. Tumbling into nothing but a peaceful bliss.

Evangeline traps the scream in between her teeth and she sits up in the bed quickly. Her hand comes down to rest over top of the scars; her breathing erratic to even her own ears. Sweat trickles down the back of her neck, causing a shiver to weasel through her body. The dead heart in her chest beats wildly, and she closes her eyes tightly.

Wrong move. The image comes back full force, causing more panic to sweep through her chest. Reopening her eyes, Evangeline pushes herself off of the bed. Vampires aren't supposed to sleep at night. They're supposed to sleep during the day, which is why she's currently plagued by the nightmares of her past. She changes from her large t-shirt into a pair of cut off jean shorts and a large black tee that almost swallows the shorts completely. Evangeline doesn't care much as she grabs her key and phone before finding her way to the door out of the dorm. The hall outside is lighted only with dull bulbs, barely enough illumination for anyone with human eyes. Having vampire senses, however, it's what is natural for Evangeline to see through.